Friday, September 30, 2016

Hello crafty friends :) It is October 1st and time for the Serendipity Stamps Challenge!!

With the many fall festivities coming up you won't want to miss out on the 50% off sale on this month's Stamp of The Month!

50% off Stamp Of The Month

For my "Anything Goes" take on this challenge I have chosen to highlight an amazing new die called Snowflake Reverse die! I just can't wait to share all the ways I have been able to use this beautiful and versatile die!!

As you know I have been working hard on my personal challenge to use up my sticker stash! As I have been using them I have been realizing why I love stickers so much and I won't be a bit surprised if after I use up what I have I begin to buy more again! LOL The stickers I have used on all of my cards are from a single pack of Jolee's and cost less than $4.00.

That is all for me today. I hope that you will come join the fun with our "Anything Goes" challenge. The only rule is that you must use at least one Serendipity Stamps stamp or die on your card : )

This is a scheduled post as my hubbers and I are out of town on a business/vacation visiting family while he makes the big bucks LOL I hope you are all having a wonderful time!! playing with paper and getting inky! : )

Thursday, September 29, 2016

We are hitting the road at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning! but I wanted to apologize for forgetting to let you know that I am not scheduled on the Penny Black Blog again until Friday, October 14th!

I created this card for my great Nephew, Korbyn, one of the sweetest little boys you could ever want to meet. His face lights up a room! and I'm so excited we are going to get to see him when we are "home" visiting Wisconsin!!

I am entering this one in the CASology Challenge where the buzzzzz word (get it?) is CUTE!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! and if I can get access to a computer I will be out and about visiting you as often as I can : )

Monday, September 26, 2016

I love Mondays! because I love fresh starts : ) Today is especially fun because it is time for another challenge from Birgit, Marcia and me! : ) In these challenges we challenge one another to use specific products previously decided upon. It is so much fun to see the different ways we each use the same stamp set(s). This month we have selected Papertrey Ink's "Forget-Me-Not", anything from Betsy's "Inspired" series and Spring and/or Winter Woods. Then just because we wanted it to be really fun we opened it up to add "anything goes" as needed LOL.

I created this card for a remarkable friend! She loves birds : ) and loves people. She has truly touched my life in too many ways to count. She came in when the world went out during one of the darkest times I've ever faced and has been there for me faithful ever since! : ) I like to keep her supplied in birds heeheehee

I started out by making a mask with painters tape on my water color paper. I didn't know you could do a mask on watercolor paper without it bleeding under the mask but you can! : ) I painted the background with my Ziggys and immediately removed the tape. Worked like a charm : ) You can't see it here but the bird and all the leaves are coated with Wink of Stella : ) it is super pretty IRL

I tried a technique on this card that I have not used very much. I colored my image lightly with Ziggys directly on the stamp then stamped it on the paper. It was super light but still dark enough that I was able to follow the lines of the flowers and hand paint with Zigs on the paper. I laid down the color on the edges of each flower and then went in from the center with a water brush to "go and get" some color : ) My friend Stacy showed me this technique and I love the look you get. I did the same thing with the leaves and flower centers. I added a lot of water to my background and then painted in a color wash. I really love how this turned out.

I'm not wild about this card for some reason. I began by using a stencil to create my wooded background on the left. Then I just put the rest together : ) Maybe the woods are not defined enough... or the "blue sky"??

I began with a piece of Kraft card stock and stamped the image in Versamark ink. Next I applied some pearl powder over the Versamark ink for a shimmery "water mark". Next I laid two stamped and colored floral dies over the top of the watermark. The two dies are separated with some foam tape. There is really a pretty shimmery shadow peeking out. I glued the "Grace" down and went around the die with Wink of Stella to keep the shimmery shadow thing going : ) I attached a tiny trim at the bottom and then glued it to an embossed card base - using foam tape : )

This is one of the first cards I made for this challenge and I am pleased with the outcome : ) I began by cutting out flowers and inking them up with their three-part stamping process. Each time I inked the stamp I sptitzed it with a fine misting of water before stamping on to the die cut. I didn't let the water dry before adding the next layer of color so it kind of bled and looks very water color-y : ) After they dried I glued the colored die cuts directly to the card base. Where the flower hung off the side I just trimmed it after the glue dried. It isn't easy to see in the photo but I scored three lines along the far right side of the left panel before attaching my sentiment. This panel is popped up with foam tape.

These are 12 x 12 Scrapbook pages that I did for my SIL and BIL's 50th wedding anniversary. My husband's other sisters created a memory book for them and this is my contribution to that book. I almost never photo anything this size so the pictures are horrible but because I did these this month - using the Forget-Me-Not stamp and dies I figured I would share. : ) The background pages are cream. That gold glare is a beautiful gold foil paper I cut up and used. Again, photographed horribly but I think you can see the beautiful pattern in the paper. This was a really elegant looking layout using the Forget-Me-Not set colored in shades of soft yellow - embellished with Liquid Gold paint tipped leaves. My SIL's main wedding color, 50 years ago, was yellow which was really nice of her because it worked well with the gold in my layout : ) The words on the page are personal memories written for them.

Last but not least a Sympathy card. I started out stenciling the soft background - cut the flower dies and the "Forgotten" sentiment and glued them all on to the card face. This is such an easy card - made so by these wonderful products. : )

This is it for me today. I know you are going to want to visit both Marcia and Birgit to see how they have met the challenge this month! : )

Thank you so much for stopping by : ) I hope you get to do something fun! today!! Our friends are here from Wisconsin and we are going to go bike riding!! and then head out for a picnic at a spectacular "hidden" picnic site on a beautiful lake where we'll be making a fire to sing around and hopefully! roast some marshmallows : )

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Hello friends! I have been having a great time this week making cards! and using up my sticker stash as I challenged myself HERE and HERE that I would! Over the next several weeks you are going to be seeing a LOT of stickers on my cards starting with these "Drink Repeats" by EK Success!

Twenty years ago this week my husband and I stood up with our four children and exchanged our wedding vows. It truly was the happiest day of my life : ) We have decided to celebrate this year with a cruise to the Caribbean!! Do you like how I took this elegant die, that my friend LauraJane sent to me, and transformed it into a port hole! giggles : ) This is the anniversary card I made for my hubby.

And this is a card I will give to him when we are on board the ship with a special gift I got for him : ) Aren't these little drink stickers sweet!? They sure make for a quick and easy card... or three - or 12! there are 15 of these stickers on a sheet for $3.99!

We will cruise out of Miami Florida and when our cruising is over we will stay in Florida another week to visit with my Dad and his wife, and my brother : ) I will also get to meet some blogger friends, Nancy and hopefully Helen too! I just can't tell you how excited I am!!

Time sure flies! I can hardly believe it has been 20 years!! and just to contribute to our shock we have kids turning 40 already! LOL The nerve of them LOL

Over the next two months I am going to be away from my blog a great deal. Between visitors, a business trip for my DH and our cruise I will be in and out a lot and not really sure how much internet access I will have on the road. During the month of October we will be visiting our family and friends in northwestern WI. Bob has several business meetings in MN so he isn't going to have nearly! as much fun as I am but I'm busting to see our loved ones. It's the only bad thing about moving to SD I miss the PEOPLE! in Wisconsin something fierce!!

Even though I will be gone I will schedule several posts so please stop by often because I have some pretty nifty cards -many of them using STICKERS! : ) It is a good thing I am using up my old sticker stash because all these cards I've been making using stickers are making me long to shop for more! LOL I'm not sure it was supposed to work that way : )

Our friends are arriving late tonight or early tomorrow morning : ) They are bringing their bikes so we are praying for fine weather! and lots of biking time. I have been making up some meals up ahead so I won't have to spend too much time in the kitchen while they are here. : )

I will be back on Monday with a post you won't want to miss : ) Birgit and Marcia and I challenge one another in a fun monthly challenge!! I hope you will visit all three of us to see the different ways we all use the same products! Until then have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, September 23, 2016

Everyone seems to love it when Friday rolls around but I have a special reason to love this Friday because I get to bring you another Fun Friday with Patti Kehl post both here and at the Penny Black blog!

These were among my favorite cards that I created for Penny Black's marketing department.

I promised to share a couple of tips with you today so here is the first one : ) I wanted to show how elegant this wreath is so I heat embossed it using a beautiful Copper embossing powder. Next I applied Versamark ink directly on to my card base - just on the sides and then using the same Copper embossing powder I heat set it! This technique is so elegant and insures you match your main image perfectly! Last I added some clear rhinestones here and there : )

This is one of my favorite images from this release. Doesn't this Poinsettia have incredible detail! Can you guess what my tip #2 is going to be - to add some shimmer and shine? I placed my card base in my Misti and stamped the flower. I cleaned off the stamp and, using Versamark ink, I applied ink just to the tips of the flowers. Naturally it lined up perfectly thanks to the Misti. As you can see I heat embossed the tips only using silver Embossing Powder : ) SO easy and such a beautiful result. Next I cut my die and painted it with Silver Liquid Leaf paint.

This is another super quick card made easy with Penny Black's layered dies. After cutting my two layers I applied just a hint of blue ink to the back layer of the scene. Next I inked Versamark over the entire layer and embossed it with a pearly embossing powder. For the top layer of the die I left it completely uncolored. I painted on a little bit of glitter for some bling baby! I used the same "Rejoice" die and left it white as well for a super easy and sort of snowy looking results! : )

Penny Black dies are the best! they always cut out like butter no matter how delicate the detail is.

OK! now let's talk about candy!!

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY

From now until October 28th - for seven (non -consecutive ) Fridays Penny Black, Inc. will be featuring my cards on their blog. In honor of this exciting opportunityI am personally giving away a $25.00 in free product from Penny Black - Your choice! !!

Originally in THIS POST I indicated that my features at PB would last until October 14th. However, Penny Black has had to make a few changes to the schedule. My last feature will be on October 28th therefore the date for the winner to be selected has been changed as well. The winner will now be announced on November 14, 2016

To be eligible to win all you need to do is post a comment BOTHhere on my blog AND on the Penny Black blogduring my "Fun Fridays with Patti Kehl" featured posts. When you comment here and on the Penny Black blog your name will be entered in for the chance to win. There are seven Fridays when I will be featured so that means you have seven chances to win. That's it! : ) easy peasy!!

This is my way of saying a great big THANK YOU!! to my wonderful friends and family who support my hobby and encourage me with every card I make!

Only one comment per day on each blog will be counted in the drawing (ya gotta post to BOTH blogs to be eligible for that day). I will select the winner with a Random Generator. Friends and family are all eligible LOL otherwise there wouldn't be anyone to choose from giggles!!

The winner will be selected November 14, 2016 to give everyone plenty of time to make their comments : )

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

I appreciate you stopping by today! I hope you will take a few minutes to leave some comments so Penny Black and me will know you visited : )

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Just a quickie reminder!! Tomorrow you can find me both here and on the Penny Black Blog with my "Fun Fridays with Patti Kehl" feature! We will be showcasing three "Simply Elegant - Shimmer and Shine" cards. You won't wanna miss this post for two reasons!! 1. You'll have another chance to win my BLOG CANDY! (see all the details HERE)2. I've got a couple neat little tricks to give your cards some added shimmer and shine : )

I must apologize for the poor lighting which results in a poor photograph of my card. Because the lighting is so bad I am going to post a picture of the actual product so you can see the amazing detail in these dies which are designed to layer for the most beautiful dimension.

In keeping with the soft and simple theme I colored the birds only and then added my sentiment in matching ink.

That is it for me - soft and simple! Please consider joining the fun at Seize The Birthday! - if you are not a "Toppings" kind of gal just remember that with Seize The birthday! anything goes ALL THE TIME! ) Just be sure yours is a Birthday Theme!! This challenge runs for two weeks so you have plenty of time to enter as many cards as you wish! Do it!! we LOVE seeing your work in the gallery : )

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

I love the theme of this hop because I never have enough of these kinds of cards in my stash!

Each month during the HOP there is a $20.00 gift certificate awarded to one commenter randomly selected from all
the blogs. Hoppers can leave comments through 9-25-16. The winner
will be announced on Mary's blog on 9-26-16.That's not all! this month Serendipity Stamps is offering a Buy 3, Get a 4th Item FREE sale through September 25th! No coupon code
required. Lowest priced item in your cart will be free and if you order 8 items then 2 of them
are free, etc.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Hello friends! I am finally feeling a relief after several long weeks of preparing for a BIG sale and new release of my neckStyles™ scarves on Etsytoday. I'm not only ready for today's sale I'm ready with every sale and new release through the end of the year!! It feels so good to be caught up and even ahead of the game!! so that means now I have more time for playing! and in the next two months my DH and I have some exciting things on our schedule! More about that later : )

35% OFF for you on Etsy! Scroll down to get your coupon code.

This scarf was the inspiration for my card today!

Before you praise me for my beautiful coloring job! LOL look close : ) this is actually a STICKER!! Isn't it amazing? These "Stickeroos" from Penny Black are beautiful. They are not only vibrant and beautifully colored they have a slight texture to them so they will never be mistaken for a "Plain Jane" sticker : )

Our public scarf sale at neckStyles™ is for 15% off everything in our shop - but for my crafty friends I would like to offer you an additional 20% off! : ) That's right 35% off everything in our shop. Simply go to Etsy where you'll find almost 350 scarves to choose from and at checkout enter this code:

Your discount will be calculated and we'll ship off scarves made right here in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota by me and my BFF, Diane : ) This sale lasts until Tuesday September 27th. Our supplies are super limited so if you see something you like it would be best to grab it today! : )

I hope you are having a beautiful day! : ) Thank you so much for stopping by!

Friday, September 16, 2016

Hello crafty friends!! I'm back on the Penny Black blog today with some pretty cards for the holidays in non traditional colors!!Before talking about my cards I would like to talk about TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS IN FREE PENNY BLACK PRODUCT! yeah baby : ) what could be better than that? I have been featured on the Penny Black blog three times now and have four more -non consecutive Fridays - in which I will be featured to showcase some cards I created for the PB marketing department. In honor of that amazing opportunity I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!.

To be eligible to win all you need to do is post a comment BOTHhere on my blog AND on the Penny Black blogduring my "Fun Fridays with Patti Kehl" featured posts. When you comment here and on the Penny Black blog your name will be entered in for the chance to win. There are seven Fridays total that I will be featured so that means you have seven chances to win. That's it! : ) easy peasy!! For the full details please see THIS POST

Good Luck! : ) and thank you SO MUCH!! for your support and for your heart warming comments!

#30-375 Merry Jingle stamp set - #51-263 Joy To The World die and #51-268 A Blizzard die

Turquoise and red are one of my favorite non traditional go to color combos for holiday cards. On this one I used only a thread of red to dangle my snowflake from. The snowflake is loose and swings - just for the fun of it! : )

#30-374 Winter Joy stamp set - #30-380 Nature's Silhouettes stamp set

I wanted this card to be elegant so I used a lot of white space letting this beautiful image steal the show : )

#30-383 Holy Night stamp set - #51-268 A Blizzard die set

I really want you to notice the splatters and water marks because I tell you those splatters nearly give me a heart attack when I'm doing them! LOL I wanted the background to remind you of Christmas lights : ) How'd I do?That is it for me today. I hope you enjoyed this post and the fantabulous product from Penny Black! Be sure to come back next Friday, 9/23, for one of my personal favorite posts to my Fun Friday feature when I will be sharing three "Simply Elegant - Shimmer and Shine" cards : ) and two neat little tricks to give your card some shimmer and shine!I appreciate every comment you leave! Please remember to go to the Penny Black "Fun Friday with Patti Kehl" post today and leave another comment there! to put you in the drawing again today for my blog candy!!If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!Have a wonderfully inky Friday : ) PattiSupplies:All supplies are from Penny Black follow the links to order yours! : )
Card #1#30-375 Merry Jingle stamp set#51-263 Joy To The World die#51-268 A Blizzard die
Card #2#30-374 Winter Joy stamp set#30-380 Nature's Silhouettes stamp set
Card #3#30-383 Holy Night stamp set#51-268 A Blizzard die set

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

I hope you will join me this Friday when I'm being featured on Penny Black with "Fun Fridays by Patti Kehl". In honor of these features on PB I am giving away $25.00 in Penny Black product. See this post for all the deets! so you won't miss your opportunity to win. : )

Happy "Hump Day" friends!! this week is already whizzing by!!

#40-388 Centerpiece by Penny Black

Today I want to share a couple SUPER simple and clean One Layer cards I created in Jill Foster's home studio. : ) A couple of friends and I gathered there to play with paper this past Saturday. I brought along the supplies to create something for the Less Is More Challenge which is... "Your Favorite Flower".

This is a - new to me - image and definitely one of my FAVORITE flower images. I had planned to paint it in bright colors, and that would have been nice, but Jill was working on a very Vintage(y) card and she suggested that I try a Sepia look. I liked my first card very much. I learned quite a lot while creating this one. I had planned to leave all the flowers in the shades of brown but we all felt like bringing in a touch of the pink would look good and... it did : ) Jill suggested I bring a "smidg" of the pink into the left side of the vase - doesn't that slight addition look great! I love crafting with other people because of the amazing inspiration and help you get : )

#40-388 Centerpiece by Penny Black

In just a short time I created my second card because I knew what direction I wanted to take it. I tried to keep it more "Sepia" with ONLY the color on the flower and in the end I think I loved this one best. Possibly because I love this color combo together.

My Simplicity sisters have been creating some beautiful EYE CANDY!! like this stunning card by Marion Vagg! If you are not a frequent visitor of the Penny Black Simplicity blog I urge you to add it to your feed so that you don't miss out on any of the work of these super talented paper crafters!

Thank you for visiting : ) I so love it when you stop in. I think I mentioned that we were having a BIG sale at my neckStyles™ shop this week but we needed to push that sale out until next week so I am STILL busy behind the scenes in my little biz! : ) I hope by next week I'll be free to play more in fun challenges like the Less Is More challenge. There is not a whole lot of time left to play but if you hurry you could join in on this fun challenge! I hope you will and take some time to visit the talented DT and the LIM gallery for a tremendous amount of inspiration!

There will be prizes and inspiration galore!! See all the details HERE

Check out all the blogs participating in this hop!!

Here is a card I created for this event. Don't you just love the amazing product from Altenew!!

I started out by masking off the left side of my water color card stock before stamping images from the Beautiful Day stamp set. I also stamped a large bloom on a separate sheet of cs and then colored them all with my Zig Clean color water color markers. I laid down a strip of black Washi Tape and stamped my sentiment directly to my card face. I fussy cut out my large bloom and leaves and popped them up with foam tape.

I just love the elegance these images offer yet because they are so detailed a little bit of amateur coloring makes your card look like you are a master!! : )

To celebrate this fantastic blog hop, Altenew is giving away $35 gift certificates to FIVE lucky winners. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed above and will be announced on the